


script revisions

by aphelion (astroblemish)



Category: SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:53:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24346810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astroblemish/pseuds/aphelion
Summary: Baekhyun’s life is somebody else’s script and he’s afraid of the ending scene --maybe it’s a good thing, then, that Yukhei keeps coming in and changing all the lines.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 18
Kudos: 144





	script revisions

**Author's Note:**

> for [elle](https://twitter.com/xuxidelight) (and [miri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pristinbian) by extension)
> 
> im sorry that doing this was the only way to get me to finish a baekhei, but i hope you like it! even if it's a unique prompt i wouldnt write for myself, i tried to include as many of your favourite things as possible, so i hope it can provide for you poor starving rarepair enthusiasts ;-;
> 
> thank you to cat for holding my hand through this fics many redrafts, and for giving me a title, and to miri for tapping into the hivemind to soothe my anxiety. im glad i could finally contribute to the lucas big baekhyun small community.
> 
> please make sure you have creator's style turned on! it was a lot of fun to use my years of script-writing study in more areas than rotting scripts in my google drive lol  
> enjoy!

FADE IN:

INT. TVB CITY AWARDS HALL, HONG KONG - NIGHT

It’s a warm, muggy night in Hong Kong when Baekhyun sees Wong Yukhei beyond a screen for the first time.

It’s not hot --not in march-- but dressed in a designer velvet suit leaves Baekhyun tugging at his collar in his seat, sweat beading at the back of his neck. It could be the humidity, or it could be the nerves; it’s hard to tell. On the contrary, Wong Yukhei is wrapped head-to-toe in Bulgari without a single hair out of place, a picture of unadulterated excitement as he ascends the stage to accept his award: Newcomer of the Year. 

They’d asked Baekhyun about it, of course, on the red carpet as he’d made his way to the hall. _It was only five years ago now that you took home your first AFA with Scarlet Heart; how does it feel to be a veteran nominated for Best Actor with rookies vying to overthrow your legacy?_

Baekhyun’s answer had been poignant, weighed with gravitas, scripted: _I welcome the new talent_. 

Yet when Wong Yukhei’s debut box-office hit, _Take Off,_ takes Best Film over Baekhyun’s latest movie, and he ascends the stage again with his team for the director to give a heartfelt speech about how hard they’ve all worked, Baekhyun finds his eyes drawn to Yukhei once more. He’s so excited, buzzing with naivete and energy, tripping over his feet a little and cheering so loudly the whole audience laughs. It’s messy, and embarrassing to watch, and Baekhyun scowls at it because despite it all, he’s just so… perfect.

Baekhyun decides in that moment, with pure virulence, that he hates Wong Yukhei. 

TITLE CARD:

SCRIPT REVISIONS

TITLE CARD FADES.

  
  
  
  


INT. APGUJEONG HYUNDAI APARTMENTS, SEOUL - DAY

Baekhyun wakes up to the ear splitting tones of a pirated version of _The Imperial March_ that he’d set to Junmyeon’s ringtone. The first time it rings, he ignores it, but by the second he realises he’s playing a losing game --no one beats Junmyeon when it comes to being stubborn.

“What?” he snaps, scrubbing at his face.

“Why didn’t you pick up the first time?” Junmyeon sighs, exasperated. “Really, Baekhyun--” Junmyeon continues to chew him out, but Baekhyun is too busy tossing his phone onto his pillow and reaching for the painkillers he keeps in his bedside drawer, chugging them down dry. He picks up the phone and presses it back against his ear. 

“Baekhyun,” Junmyeon repeats. “ _Baekhyun_. Are you even listening to me?”

He isn’t, not really --rarely is, in fact. Junmyeon says a lot of useless things, and Baekhyun has the attention span the size of a thimble on a good day --which today is not. 

“No my ears are attuned at a frequency that excludes your voice,” Baekhyun retorts, yawning. “What do you want?” 

Junmyeon sighs, long and frustrated, and it makes Baekhyun grin with all his teeth.

“Where are you?” Junmyeon snaps. “You were meant to be here fifteen minutes ago.”

“Here?” Baekhyun parrots. 

“For the first read-through?” Junmyeon clarifies. “Fucking Christ, Baekhyun.”

He relishes in the exasperation like a masochist pressing into the sting of a bruise.

“Oh, that.” Baekhyun looks at the script flung haphazardly on his dresser. He stands to pick it up. The title page reads:

EXCHANGE REAPER.

“Didn’t we already agree I’m not doing that?” Baekhyun tosses the script back onto his floor, uncaring. “It’s a TV drama. That qualifies as beneath my pay-grade, right?”

Not to mention he’s only cast as a supporting role; when he’d (reluctantly) attended the audition, intent on trying out for the lead, they’d given him a different script, explaining they wanted somebody… younger. 

It makes Baekhyun grind his teeth together just thinking about it. 

“Don’t pretend like you’re innocent,” Junmyeon spits. “And get your stupid ass here ASAP. We’re already behind as is.”

“My ass is perfectly intelligent,” Baekhyun counters. “It has its own neuron brain and everything, like an octopus.”

“Are you fucking drunk?” Probably, but he won’t tell Junmyeon that. “I don’t care if your ass can cure cancer, Baekhyun. Just get to this read-through or so help me god.”

Figuring he shouldn’t risk Junmyeon driving to his apartment and pulling him out kicking and screaming (which may have happened, once or twice) Baekhyun gets dressed, pulling on a cap for his bedhead and a mask for his stubble. His clothes are wrinkled from being piled on his floor instead of his closet and there’s a stain on his sweater --it might not even be his sweater, or his clothes. Last night is a bit of a blur in that regard, and his apartment is still a mess.

Ah well. Perfection is overrated.

  
  
  
  


INT./EXT. KBS HEADQUARTERS, YEOUIDO - DAY 

Baekhyun wonders if he has an inferiority complex, with the way Yeouido always makes him feel like an ant waiting to be squashed. Maybe it’s the spread of skyscrapers throughout the small island nestled in the Han river, or maybe it’s something more psychological, because as Baekhyun stares up at the KBS logo above his head from the car window, he feels like puking. 

He doesn’t, though, just adjusts his cap and facemask as he pulls into the parking lot. Junmyeon is waiting for him, arms crossed and impatiently tapping his foot. He scowls as soon as he sees Baekhyun’s car.

“If the wind changes you’ll be stuck with all those wrinkles, you know,” Baekhyun greets, knowing Junmyeon will succumb to anything that implies he might not stay young and beautiful forever. His face smooths over on cue; Baekhyun smirks to himself. “How’s it going, Myeonnie?”

“When we’re done here,” Junmyeon starts, gripping onto Baekhyun’s arm with enough strength to make Baekhyun yelp. “I’m going to kill you and throw your body into the Han river.”

“But like, how would you kill me?” 

Junmyeon’s grip just tightens, and his eyes narrow. “Are you drunk?”

Baekhyun pinches his thumb and index finger together; Junmyeon groans.

“Where the hell did you go last night?” he snaps. “What mess will I be cleaning up this time?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Baekhyun replies coolly. “I’m on house arrest, how would I _ever_ go anywhere?” 

Junmyeon looks unconvinced, and his face contorts in a manner that’s so unhappy it makes Baekhyun grin as they step into the elevator, Junmyeon slamming his fist on the button like he’s a character in a video game. The elevator up only fills Baekhyun with more and more dread with each floor he passes, biting into his bones and leaving a dark mark. It nestles in his stomach and keeps his feet anchored to the carpet. He wants to go back home, but he can’t, because he’s just a marionette on strings, dancing to somebody else’s tune. 

The doors slide open.

Inside the meeting room, Baekhyun expects the cold prickle of unwanted attention over his skin, but it still makes him shiver. Eyes flick up at him with a mixed-bag of expressions he can’t even begin to label before tearing away, like they know Baekhyun isn’t something they should stare at for too long, as all things broken are. 

He relishes in it.

Junmyeon leans in close to Baekhyun’s ear. “Don’t fuck this up,” he warns. “Or it’s strike three.” 

Very reassuring. 

The director, Do Kyungsoo, steps forward immediately, shaking Baekhyun’s hand like a businessman.

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo greets. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“Yeah yeah,” Baekhyun waves him off. Just another fresh face in the industry. “Take care of me and all that. Is there somewhere I can get my coffee?”

Kyungsoo looks completely unfazed, which is almost unnerving. 

“Excuse him,” Junmyeon steps in. “He’s cranky because he’s underslept.”

Kyungsoo hums in understanding. “An assistant will be right with you,” he assures. “Please, take a seat. We’re ready to start soon.” 

Baekhyun shrugs in acquiescence, dumping himself in the chair that has a little nameplate for him and everything; Junmyeon takes the seat behind him. He pulls the copy of his script that he’d had to grab off his bedroom floor, picking at a little bit of dried food stuck on its cover as the loose staple makes the cover wobble. Whoops.

An assistant takes his order, and Baekhyun sends her off for his light iced americano while he continues boredly flicking through his script to hear the quick _fwip fwip_ of the pages. Kyungsoo, at the head of the table, is talking in a low voice to another crew member of some kind. He watches them curiously, until he feels a prickle at the back of his neck and something snags his attention out of the corner of his eye. 

When he turns to face it, it’s the lead of the drama and one of many reasons Baekhyun doesn’t want to be here right now; Wong Yukhei, staring at him with wide, brown eyes like he can’t quite believe Baekhyun is real.

Baekhyun scowls. “What?” he snaps across the table, folding his arms over his chest.

“Nothing,” Yukhei responds with a shrug, though he just keeps staring. It unnerves Baekhyun, so he focuses on the script instead, refusing to lose to some… _kid_. 

“Since everyone is here,” Kyungsoo calls, gathering the room’s attention. “Shall we start?”

For a tacky drama, the show has something of an A-list star cast, a fact that Baekhyun truly takes in now that a few of the extra named roles have been filled. Wong Yukhei as the lead, of course, is quite the star power, with Kim Yerim as his love interest. Yukhei’s character is a clumsy reaper on exchange from China to Seoul --a tidbit added in _just_ for Yukhei-- who witnesses a young girl dying and then falls in love with her. It has Baekhyun rolling his eyes at the tackiness, but what else can one expect from a drama? He’s sure later on in the script it will be revealed that they’re long lost childhood friends and everything.

Baekhyun’s character is in the opening scene, but he’s so lost in listening to Yukhei’s accented Korean against Kyungsoo reading the unnamed, uncasted parts he almost forgets to speak up. 

“That’s me,” Baekhyun reads flatly, already bored of it all. “I guess I’m the one taking care of you.”

TAEHO must have died just past his prime, but he has the air of a reaper who has lived through many centuries. It’s this experience that has him clearly underwhelmed with the young reaper in front of him. 

Lei bows over in greeting.

“Please take care of me,” Yukhei reads, and bows over the table, just like his character. Baekhyun’s eyes flick up when he catches the movement, and he finds Yukhei staring back. He looks away. 

A few of the other characters are introduced, and Baekhyun reads through it all while waiting for it to be over. His pain is only accentuated when his fellow support lead and love interest, played by Jung Soojung, is introduced, and Baekhyun has to fumble his way through _that_ horrid flirting. For the first time all read-through, he writes a small note in the margins to remind Kyungsoo to fix that. Baekhyun does _not_ need to be caught on camera reciting something so bad, not even if it’s the last thing he’s ever in.

Junmyeon’s phone buzzes on cue after an hour and a half, making Baekhyun smile to himself as he’s doodling a three-legged dog in the margin of his scripts.

The reaction is instantaneous. 

“What did you do?” Junmyeon harshly whispers, just as Yerim is having an exposition scene with Sooyoung, her in-show best friend.

“Lil ol me?” Baekhyun flutters his eyelashes, pouting. Junmyeon’s scowl as he checks his phone is a memory to keep forever, but there’s nothing he can do about it in public. 

They finish the read-through after a painful three hours where Baekhyun bathes in Junmyeon’s seething glare from behind him, and Kyungsoo gives his notes to the cast and wishes for the future. Filming won’t start until next week, so for now he just wants the actors to focus on learning their lines and their characters. 

Which is a cakewalk for Baekhyun, who’s used to the high stress and budgets of A-list cinema. Getting downgraded to a tacky drama filled with big name idol actors to rake in quick cash has him feeling used and cheap, but that’s nothing new.

Wrapping up, though, the only part that interests Baekhyun is the way Junmyeon excuses himself to take a call outside, inevitably trying to clean up Baekhyun’s mess. It’s like watching him play whack-a-mole and constantly missing, with all the veins sticking out in his neck in frustration. Even if Baekhyun gets his ear chewed off once this all over, it’s worth it for the quick thrill he feels in this moment; he wonders if it will be strike three.

Just as Kyungsoo is thanking everybody for their hard work, Junmyeon slips back into the meeting room and assumes his position behind Baekhyun. He doesn’t say anything, but his stoney expression is enough to make Baekhyun grin.

Just as he’s standing and bowing to say thanks, a hand on his arm surprises Baekhyun. It’s not Junmyeon’s death grip, prepared to chastise him for hours, instead the hand is bigger than Baekhyun’s, soft and warm as it gently touches his wrist. 

“Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun’s attention snaps up, narrowing his eyes at Wong Yukhei. “What?”

“I, uh--” Yukhei looks caught off-guard at Baekhyun’s venom. _Good_ , Baekhyun thinks. “I just uh, wanted to say I’m really looking forward to working with you.”

Baekhyun gives a half-hearted shrug. “Okay,” he offers. “Is that all?” 

“Uh.” Yukhei blinks rapidly, and Baekhyun can _see_ the gears turning in his head. Is someone this stupid really considered the nation’s adopted child? Baekhyun can’t believe it. “I guess?”

“Great.” Baekhyun offers a smile which isn’t authentic in the slightest, then turns to Junmyeon, furiously typing on his phone behind him. “Come on Myeonnie, you can spank me outside.” 

That turns Yukhei’s ears red like the young, green, doe-eyed rookie he is, so Baekhyun throws in a salacious wink just to torment him further as he walks past him to leave the meeting room, Junmyeon furiously typing as he follows. Baekhyun presses the elevator button just as Junmyeon answers a call, yet another journalist he’s trying to stop from leaking Baekhyun’s mess, and Baekhyun smiles to himself as the doors slide shut.

  
  
  
  
  
  


INT. SET OF EXCHANGE REAPER, SEOUL - DAY

Baekhyun’s impromptu little gathering at his own apartment earns him a slap on a wrist and a _no visitors_ ban, alongside his pre-existing house arrest. All in all, it’s not the bang Baekhyun had been hoping for; the instagram stories get deleted, the online tabloids keep their mouths shut, and Baekhyun’s image remains (relatively) untarnished. 

It has Baekhyun frustrated, chewing on his nails in the backseat of Junmyeon’s car. House-arrest, no-guest-arrest, and now apparently Baekhyun is locked out of his own car, forced into being driven everywhere by his manager to ensure he arrives on time. It has him annoyed that he doesn’t know how to change the door code, just to keep Junmyeon from barging him in and waking him up.

Right now, Baekhyun’s phone clock reads five-oh-three a.m, with filming scheduled to start at six-thirty to match with the hectic schedules of all the idols involved in the project. The naver searches are depressingly empty when Baekhyun searches his name, nothing bad, nothing good, just… _nothing_. It’s filled with only the reports that mention the drama to start filming, that Wong Yukhei will be cast alongside Kim Yerim as the leads. Baekhyun’s name is nothing but a drop towards the middle of the articles, a passing comment. 

Baekhyun’s grip tightens around his phone so sharply the cracks in the screen protector deepen. 

Their first day is filmed in a police precinct, to match the precinct-style bureaucracy that the Reapers operate in. It’s not the opening scene --that’s been filmed without Baekhyun-- but it is a decent chunk of the script for the first and second episode that they’re attempting to get out of the way this weekend alone. Just thinking about the amount of work required for such little effort makes Baekhyun exhausted, but he tries not to dwell on it too much.

Junmyeon herds him into wardrobe and makeup when they arrive at five-fifteen, and then Baekhyun sits in his chair while the stylists argue about how best to dress him. His costume is a traditional black _hanbok_ down to the _gat_ hanging off his chair; it’s hot and stifling and makes him feel like he’s suffocating, but most of his life feels like that, these days.

In one hand Baekhyun boredly reads through the script, memorising his lines, as a coordinator covers his face in setting powder. Just as he’s reaching the end, the doors to the trailer open, and Wong Yukhei enters, bowing over in greeting and giving the usual pleasantries. Baekhyun rolls his eyes, uncaring.

One of the coordinators lead him to the spare seat beside Baekhyun, and Yukhei sits down with a lack of confidence that’s unfitting for an idol-actor, especially one who’s probably been in a situation like this hundreds of times. His eyes keep flicking towards Baekhyun nervously, but Baekhyun pays him no mind.

“How’s the uh--” Yukhei starts suddenly, clearing his throat. “--How’s the script read-through going?”

“Fine,” Baekhyun answers, licking his fingertip to turn a page and continue reading.

“Cool… cool…” Yukhei drums his hands on his thighs while the makeup artists fuss around with new materials --the one working on Baekhyun starts examining his face, looking for any flaws. He wonders if she can see them all. “I uh, saw that Kyungsoo fixed that awkward dialogue on page forty-two.”

“Sure did,” Baekhyun interjects, wondering if the dumb kid knows when to give up. When he glances over, Yukhei is frowning at his lap. “Are we done here?” Baekhyun asks the stylists.

“I think so.” She lets go of his face. “You’re all set.”

“Great.” He stands, offering her a flimsy smile, and takes his food-stained, half-torn script with him as he leaves the trailer, bracing the cooler air outside in his thick layers of cheap silk. The zip along the back itches his skin, and the shitty sandals have him waddling back inside the police precinct, where he calls over an assistant to bring him coffee. 

Beside the filming area, Baekhyun waits in his allocated chair and scrolls through his phone in boredom as they begin running through the scenes one by one. The naver searches are still empty no matter how many times he refreshes his name at the top.

When it’s finally Baekhyun’s turn to do work, he stands with a sigh, leaving his script (and his coffee) on the fold-out chair as he approaches the set. Kyungsoo runs them through the blocking for the scene, with Baekhyun nodding along and not wasting any of his attention on Yukhei beside him, who has the audacity to look at Kyungsoo with wide, eager eyes and stand more than a head taller than Baekhyun. What the fuck.

“Did you get that, Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo asks.

Baekhyun blinks into focus, then shrugs. “Sure.” 

Kyungsoo looks unconvinced, but tells them to get into position regardless. It’s the first meeting scene, with Yukhei arriving at the precinct and being told that Baekhyun is his assigned mentor on his exchange trip. He’s dressed in regular clothes, but they’re all black to match the reaper aesthetic. His hair is pushed back and Yukhei keeps fiddling with his rolled sleeves and it just seems unfair to Baekhyun. How is he meant to compete with someone like _this_ if he’s stuck in tacky old-fashioned clothes while Yukhei gets to spend half of the first episode looking like a model?

Ridiculous.

The camera starts rolling, and the scene is straightforward. Yukhei bumbles around like the idiot he and his character both are, talks to the extra at the front desk who tells him his assignment before Baekhyun steps in to save the day. 

It flies past him before Baekhyun can even register it. It’s strange to stand there on set with the lights burning his skin and the lenses pointed right at him; he feels transparent, like a ghost, and he wants to throw up.

“Taeho?” Yukhei says. “That’s my supervisor?”

Baekhyun knows his lines, he _does_ , but his stomach is so busy flipping over itself he can’t seem to remember them.

“Cut!” Kyungsoo yells, long before Baekhyun’s introduction scene is even finished. “Your line is, ‘That’s me, I guess--”

“--I’m the one taking care of you, yeah, I know,” Baekhyun finishes, rubbing at his eyes. He feels so tired. “Let’s just... Go again.”

They do, and this time Baekhyun nails the delivery, refusing to fuck up again. His hands are shaking though, so he folds them into the sleeves of the hanbok he’s been forced into, deciding it must be one of Taeho’s new mannerisms.

Yukhei flawlessly delivers his lines of exposition about moving and finding Seoul exciting while Baekhyun hardly has to act like he even cares, and then he tells him to hurry up. They have work to do.

“Cut!”” Kyungsoo shouts again, pulling off his headphones. “I don’t think we have time to do that again, let’s just go with it.”

That makes Baekhyun pause, though Yukhei visibly deflates.

“What was wrong with it?” 

Kyungsoo shrugs. “Decide for yourself.” He waves them over to the playback, where Baekhyun eyes Yukhei warily before making his way over. It’s rough and cluttered by blur on the small screen, but the problem is clear enough. It’s like they aren’t even acting together --Baekhyun is so disconnected from the scene it’s like he isn’t even there.

“I’m sorry,” Yukhei apologises, and Baekhyun suddenly becomes aware of how close they are, hunched over this small screen together. He pulls back. 

“Why are you apologising?” he asks, confused by it.

“I ruined the scene, I wasn’t connecting with you. That’s my inexperience showing.” 

It makes Baekhyun pull a face. Is this some kind of angle? To pretend to shoulder the blame so he can play the martyr or what?

Baekhyun shrugs, refusing to let Yukhei win. “It’s fine, whatever. We can just do better next time.”

Yukhei, wide-eyed, nods while biting his lip, looking like he wants to say something.

Baekhyun doesn’t care. He really doesn’t.

“What?” he prompts. Indecision flows off the kid in waves, and it is _not_ helping Baekhyun’s already addled nerves.

“I just--” Yukhei wiggles in his seat. “--The last project I did, I found I could do better if I got a little more experience with my partner? I was wondering if maybe --if you wouldn’t mind-- that we could practice together during breaks or something like that--”

Baekhyun can only watch in fascination and horror both as Yukhei continues to ramble on and on in accented Korean, hardly stopping for breath. He looks excited and nervous both and Baekhyun doesn’t know how he can pull off such a stark dichotomy but if he supposes if anyone can do it, it’s the rookie said to be the Baekhyun 2.0. 

“--or maybe you could even mentor me? You have so much experience and I admire you a lot you know it could be really helpful if you gave me a few pointers here and there about how I can properly work with you--”

He’s still going, Baekhyun cuts him off with, “No.”

“--because it would be an honor and--” it processes in Yukhei’s mind. “What?”

“No.” Baekhyun shrugs, standing up from the small fold-out chair pressed tight against Yukhei’s own. “I don’t have time to waste mentoring an actor who should already be able to act by now.”

Yukhei looks heartbroken, which is ridiculous, because how is someone so fragile meant to last in an industry like this? Whatever, the kid should toughen up. It’s a cruel world behind the camera and a cruel world beyond it; if he can’t handle a little rejection, he won’t stand a chance.

“Oh,” Yukhei says, deflating in disappointment. “Are you sure? I really think it would be a good idea.” 

Baekhyun groans. “Do you ever give up?”

Yukhei’s face contorts. “Do you?”

It actually leaves Baekhyun speechless, somehow, completely unsure of how to do with this bumbling rookie who can’t read a room _or_ a script, but their argument is enough to catch Junmyeon’s attention from side stage, charging over with a crease in his brow.

“Is there a problem?” he asks, then turns to Baekhyun. “What are you trying to do now?”

“ _Nothing_ ,” Baekhyun hisses. “Yukhei just doesn’t know how to behave. Clearly.”

“What?” For the first time, Yukhei looks visibly perturbed. Not angry, not yet, but close. It makes Baekhyun feel satisfied. “All I did is ask if we could run lines sometime.” 

“Oh?” Junmyeon arches an eyebrow. “That sounds like a great idea.”

Baekhyun’s blood runs cold. “ _No_.”

“Why not? You could use the practice,” Junmyeon points out. “You and Yukhei have a lot of scenes together, and we don’t want more bad takes. Editing won’t save you every time.”

Baekhyun grits his teeth, fingers curling into the cheap silk of his sleeve. “I’m on house arrest, remember?” He smiles venomously. 

“House arrest?” Yukhei parrots, tilting his head like a puppy who doesn’t understand a command. Baekhyun scowls.

“We can bend the rules for the benefit of work. We wouldn’t want you making more mistakes,” Junmyeon amends smoothly, fiddling with the cuffs of his shirt. Baekhyun winces. “Just have your manager text me,” Junmyeon tells Yukhei. “I’m sure we can arrange something.”

Baekhyun is filled with so much sudden rage it turns his blood cold, but all Yukhei does is agree and give an earnest grin. God Baekhyun hates him, hates how he keeps reoccurring like a bad dream, how he keeps worming himself into all the cracks of Baekhyun’s life so he can take it over. He _hates_ him.

Junmyeon tells Baekhyun to hurry up and get changed so they can go home before walking away, and Yukhei turns to Baekhyun with a smug smile.

“What?” Baekhyun snaps.

“Nothing.” Yukhei’s smile doesn’t falter, some mix between confident and understanding that makes Baekhyun’s blood boil. Just when he’d thought he was about to get a crack in the perfect pretty boy facade, Junmyeon pulls the rug from under his feet and seals it up. “Just that I look forward to working with you, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun’s eye twitches.

  
  
  
  
  


INT. APGUJEONG HYUNDAI APARTMENTS, SEOUL - NIGHT

Junmyeon says Yukhei will be coming to his apartment to practice lines by midnight, which is outrageously late for Baekhyun who _isn’t_ an idol, and likes to keep his work hours in the range of daylight. 

Especially if it involves Wong Yukhei.

Of course such a thing is a daydream, really, even as a veteran. Baekhyun had been promised that with experience came fame and leverage, but he still feels like he's playing out somebody else's script --and running out of pages.

But whatever. To spite Yukhei as much as possible for throwing Baekhyun back into the sleep-schedule of a rookie, Baekhyun doesn’t even bother cleaning his apartment, just downs half a bottle of soju alone and grumbles to himself for hours, roaming around his apartment in sweats.

The bell chimes at twelve-fifteen. Baekhyun opens the door and bitterly says, “You’re late.”

Yukhei doesn’t even have his manager with him to cart him around, he just looks at Baekhyun’s dirty clothes, his five o’clock shadow, and his eyebrows hit his hairline.

“...Sorry?” he offers. “Filming went overtime.’

Scenes without Baekhyun, then. 

“Can we just get this over with?” Baekhyun grunts. He doesn’t expect Junmyeon to drive over and check on him like a hen, but he figures Yukhei will tell him the truth of it either way, which means Baekhyun may as well do the job as quickly as possible and find some way of making sure this never happens again.

Yukhei ignores him in favour of craning his neck around Baekhyun’s apartment, taking in the city view of the wide balcony glass doors and the minimal decorations.

“Have you been drinking?” he asks, pointing to the bottle of peach soju on the table.

“Is there a problem with that?” Baekhyun counters. 

Yukhei pulls a reluctant face, but says nothing. Baekhyun narrows his eyes and grabs the script off the coffee table, dumping himself on the couch.

“Look,” he starts. “The next scene is page twenty-five. Let’s just start from there.”

They do, for the most part, if only because Baekhyun starts reading the big print before Yukhei can even respond. He looks so uncomfortable, standing in Baekhyun’s apartment with his denim jacket on in polka-dot socks, looking down at the furniture like if he’ll sit on it it will break. Baekhyun makes no moves to help his extreme discomfort, because the sooner Yukhei gets out of his life, the better.

Then again, when he stops focusing so much on Yukhei and more on the script in his hands, it becomes obvious to Baekhyun how lacking their chemistry is. The beats are off, the flow stilted, and something about the warm way Yukhei plays his character just doesn’t work with the iciness of Baekhyun’s own interpretation.

It frustrates him, as imperfections tend to. “Let’s try again,” Baekhyun insists, because if Junmyeon expects perfect then he may as well deliver. “From the start.”

“Why are you so mean to me?” Yukhei asks.

Baekhyun pauses, flipping through the pages for his line. “That’s not in the script.” He frowns.

“No, I’m asking you,” Yukhei corrects, and steps closer to Baekhyun in a way that has him leaning back. Suddenly he regrets sitting down, when Yukhei towers over him twice as much now. The press of the couch’s leather digs into his back. “What did I do?”

What hasn’t Yukhei done, at this point? He’s young, beautiful, popular, talented; he’s taken Baekhyun’s records, his roles, his fans and his fame. Everything that Baekhyun has already lost and will lose is kept in the overly-grown body of a young imbecile. 

“Well, you have no experience, for one,” Baekhyun starts, trying to lash out to preserve some of his space, to push Yukhei out of it. “And you keep getting in the way.”

Yukhei’s face looks genuinely hurt, which is _stupid_ , because Baekhyun knows the naver comments say harsher words than he does, so why should this affect Yukhei at all? 

“That’s so unfair,” Yukhei argues back, and his perfect pretty boy composure starts cracking, making Baekhyun smile. Misery loves company, after all. “You don’t even know me.”

“And you don’t know _me_ ,” Baekhyun snaps. “So stop pretending like you know what’s fair and what isn’t.”

There’s a long, tense moment, as Yukhei and Baekhyun just glare at each other, with Yukhei searching Baekhyun’s face in a way that makes him squirm. Then, just as Baekhyun thinks he finally might crack, Yukhei softens, and he shakes his head.

“Whatever,” he mumbles. “I know when I’m not wanted.”

He curls his script in his hand, and beelines it to the front door to slip on his shoes. Baekhyun doesn’t stop him, waiting for the telltale sound of the door slamming shut before he even thinks to relax.

  
  
  
  
  


EXT. SET OF EXCHANGE REAPER, SEOUL - DAY

It’s raining on set today, which makes things difficult. Baekhyun’s weather app had told him mild pollution with 10% chance of rain, yet the air feels thick and gritty and the rain that lands is dirty with it. 

It clogs in Baekhyun’s throat despite the mask and sours the mood --everyone on set from Junmyeon and the managers to the assistants fetching coffee seem downtrodden and stressed. It doesn’t help that filming has quickly grown to be stressful and rushed, since broadcasting is set to start sooner than anyone would like. Baekhyun thought he’d flourish in a mood like this, but it only brings him down too.

Yet when Yukhei walks into make-up to get ready and doesn’t greet Baekhyun, he still manages to be surprised, arching an eyebrow at him. Yukhei doesn’t even glance at him, tiredly scrolling through his phone as the make-up artists powder his face.

“What?” Baekhyun snaps, because the silence makes his skin itch. “No awkward small-talk?”

Yukhei looks up at the wall like he’s in pain, then turns to Baekhyun.

“I don’t get you,” he says, startling Baekhyun. “I talk to you, you hate me, I ignore you, you still hate me. What am I meant to do here?”

Baekhyun scoffs, but it’s only to cover up the fact that he’s speechless. He hates that Yukhei can still surprise him like this, over and over.

“I don’t know,” he mumbles. “Be less annoying?” 

“Sorry that my breathing was pissing you off,” Yukhei counters. “Your _majesty_.” 

That earns a snort from one of the stylists, which has Baekhyun red in the face and stammering, embarrassed.

“Shut up,” he bites, and when he glances over at Yukhei, he’s smiling at his phone.

Filming goes even worse than it had the first time. Delivery is clunky, Baekhyun keeps forgetting his lines, and he finds it hard to be present in the moment.

“You two just aren’t connecting at all,” Kyungsoo tells them. “I don’t know how to fix it. Should we handcuff you two in a room together?”

“I don’t think that’s the problem,” Yukhei replies. Baekhyun braces himself to be thrown under the bus, for Yukhei to mention his attitude or his manner of conduct, but it never comes. “We’re just lacking in chemistry. Sorry.”

Kyungsoo hums, giving Baekhyun a long stare that he doesn’t enjoy.

“Well please find some,” he says, rubbing his temple. “I don’t think we can even use this. It’s a good excuse to film with better weather anyway.”

Baekhyun nods as best he can in his stupid costume, and watches as Kyungsoo retreats to talk to his crew about the setback. Baekhyun scrubs at his eyes; he feels so tired.

“Why not just tell him I’m the problem?” Baekhyun asks, grinding his teeth together. “It’s what you’re thinking, right?”

“It’s not,” Yukhei answers succinctly. “But I know it’s what you want me to say.” He smiles down at Baekhyun with sincerity, which is ridiculous, because Baekhyun hasn’t done anything to deserve it. “I think I’m starting to figure you out, Byun Baekhyun.” 

“Huh?” Baekhyun pulls a face, but Yukhei is already walking away, jogging over to Yerim and calling her name to discuss something to do with their characters. It leaves Baekhyun dazed, blinking sunspots from his eyes despite the cloudy overcast. Wong Yukhei is an enigma that just never seems to make sense.

It only makes Baekhyun loathe him more.

  
  
  
  
  


MONTAGE SEQUENCE - BAEKHYUN AND YUKHEI AT WORK

A) With Kyungsoo’s criticism hanging over their heads, Junmyeon forces Baekhyun and Yukhei into subsequent playdates, to practice their lines and find the chemistry they’ve been lacking. It irks Baekhyun, to continue seeing Yukhei in the only space he has to call home, always showing up late past their arranged time, kicking off his shoes and never taking off his jacket.

B) But it extends even in the breaks between sets --and once, in fact, with Kyungsoo’s supervision, watching them rehearse and giving them his feedback. Baekhyun hates it, because the less time he spends with the man who took everything from him, the less the wound stings, but Yukhei is like a piece of gum stuck in his hair, and he doesn’t know how to rip it out.

C) It’s unhelped that no matter how hard he tries, Baekhyun just can’t get Yukhei to crack. He can make Junmyeon lose his composure the same way he can make his lungs inhale, but the more time he spends with Yukhei, the less he seems to approach that brink the way he had the first time. If anything, he starts to laugh at Baekhyun’s biting remarks, or brush them off, or even worse, have a _retort,_ and Baekhyun ends up driving himself up the wall more than anything else. 

D) It’s frustrating. All Baekhyun wants is to find all the cracks in Yukhei’s perfection, but there never are any. It’s almost become an obsession, at this point, how Baekhyun is drawn towards him at every opportunity. Yukhei is tall, handsome, kindhearted, sincere, and hardworking. No matter how hard Baekhyun tries to deter him, to push him away or make him snap or find some edge in the mask he _can’t._ Yukhei has befriended the whole cast and crew from the assistants to the string of managers, always greeting them with warm smiles that are equally as returned. He’s well-liked, receives high praise, and nobody has a bad thing to say about him no matter how hard Baekhyun tries to pry it out of them. It’s almost like Wong Yukhei’s perfectionism isn’t an act at all --which Baekhyun refuses to accept, because then it means that he himself has no excuse for why he’s so broken.

END OF MONTAGE.

INT. BLACK PORK BBQ, GANGNAM, SEOUL - NIGHT

With half of the series filmed, it’s a cause for celebration, with nearly a whole BBQ restaurant rented out for cast and crew. It’s a motley bunch made up of whoever was leftover from their most recent filming combined with whoever actually has the time to make it --which doesn’t include most of the actors.

It does however, unfortunately, include Yukhei, who had insisted he had the time to attend --much to everyone’s joy, _yippee_ \-- and Baekhyun, who hadn’t had a good enough excuse to say no.

He’d ended up at the grill with Yukhei though, because the booths could only fit around ten people each, and it seemed to make sense to everyone else for the cast to be crammed together with the director and the lot. All that means for Baekhyun is he has to sit in uncomfortable silence glaring at Yukhei across from him, who’s diligently listening to Kyungsoo giving him tips on how to grill the meat properly. His eyes are wide and eager, and he keeps nodding. Baekhyun just scowls.

“If the wind changes your face will stay like that,” Junmyeon warns smugly from beside him. Baekhyun just scowls _harder_ , then reaches for his glass, dumping in a decent amount of soju and filling the rest of the cup with cola, then chugging it down.

There’s a piece of sweet potato tteok on the grill that looks cooked enough, so Baekhyun reaches for it with his chopsticks just to have an excuse for something to do, blinking when his utensils meet resistance.

He looks up at Yukhei and narrows his eyes. “Respect your elders,” he warns. 

“But I’m young and growing,” Yukhei retorts, a little twitch to his mouth like it’s stuck in a permanent smile. “These are my favourite.”

“These are _my_ favourite,” Baekhyun corrects. “If you’re so young maybe you should’ve sat at the kids table.”

Beside them, their coworkers laugh. Baekhyun wasn’t aware they were being funny, but then again, Yukhei seems to be grinning too.

“If you’re so old maybe you shouldn’t be out so late,” Yukhei counters, still smiling. Baekhyun wants to wipe it off his stupidly handsome face. “Or better yet, maybe you should just retire.”

Baekhyun flinches, then withdraws his chopsticks, standing so quickly his chair skids back.

“Whatever,” he mumbles. “I’m going to piss.”

He stumbles his way through the restaurant holding his head, regretting the amount of soju he’s poured into his own cup across the night. The restaurant bathroom requires walking outside to a courtyard in the rain and accessing the small outhouse. Baekhyun doesn’t bother, though, just slides along the wall until he’s crouched and finds himself regretting that he doesn’t smoke. It would help him calm down, maybe, contribute to ruining his own image, and would give him something to do.

His hands won’t stop shaking, and he doesn’t know why. He shoves them into the pockets of his hoodie.

“I’m sorry.” 

Baekhyun startles, jumping in the spot when he finds Yukhei standing at the doorway leading back into the restaurant, frowning in the rain.

“I upset you.”

“Like you care.” Baekhyun scoffs and turns his face away. 

“I do,” Yukhei answers softly, crouching against the wall next to Baekhyun. He wants to pull away, but pulling away feels like losing, so he just lets Yukhei press their thighs together as he bites his tongue and bares it. “I didn’t mean to.”

Baekhyun swallows. “It doesn’t matter,” he lies. “I’ve heard worse.”

“Yeah you probably have,” Yukhei amends. “But it also probably hurt just as bad, right?” Baekhyun doesn’t respond. “I know it does for me.” 

“For you?” Baekhyun repeats incredulously. “When does anyone ever say anything bad about _you_?” Even Yukhei’s searches are filled with adoring fans from China to Korea, singing their praise about his perfection. Not that Baekhyun checks regularly, or anything.

“I mean, you do all the time,” Yukhei points out. It leaves Baekhyun speechless because… touche. He has to bite his tongue from clarifying that the difference is he doesn’t mean his words, though. “But there are plenty of people who hate me just for existing. It’s part of the job, I guess.”

Is failure also part of the job? Baekhyun wonders. Is fading out? Being told by your company and the industry around you that you’re just too old, too used and too stagnant, secondhand talent made of nothing but rough in an age of undiscovered diamonds. What’s the point of wasting their effort on something so washed up when the military will take it away anyway?

Baekhyun huffs out a short breath. “Of course they hate you,” he mumbles. “You’re perfect. It’s _stupid_.” Okay so maybe he’s drunker than he’d like to be, given by the way his sentence slurs together. Naturally Yukhei seems as sober as ever, because he probably has the metabolism of a god to match his six-foot-three stature. Baekhyun can’t stop his mouth from opening. “I hate it. I just want to see you fuck up.”

“The way you fuck up?” Yukhei asks. Baekhyun scoffs, pulling his knees closer to his chest. “I used to admire you so much, y’know, when you starred in _Scarlet Heart_ and won rookie of the year back when I was a trainee--” God that makes Baekhyun feel older than it should. “--but then I finally got a chance to work with you and all everyone does is warn me about you, to not get caught up in your messes.” Yukhei knocks his head back against the wall, watching the rain. “But all you do is throw mediocre parties and drink. I don’t get it.

“Or at least, I didn’t before,” Yukhei amends. “But I think I’m starting to figure it out.”

Baekhyun jerks back, hating the way Yukhei smiles at him like he’s a puzzle with all the pieces in place. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Baekhyun bites, feeling vulnerable and hating it. The alcohol makes his head feel fuzzy, and the way Yukhei radiates warmth pressed against him doesn’t help either. 

Instead of answering, Yukhei only asks, “Why don’t you ever get into a real scandal?” Baekhyun blinks. “Like, y’know. Crash a car. Do drugs. Date an idol girl.”

Baekhyun pulls a face. “I don’t want to do any of those things.” 

For multiple reasons.

“See!” Yukhei enthusiastically slaps Baekhyun’s shoulder, which has him trying to steady himself and blinking in confusion at what just happened. “I knew it. I think you’re just all bark and no bite.” 

Baekhyun’s face contorts in confusion. “What?”

“I had a dog, when I was a kid,” Yukhei starts, which isn’t helping the aforementioned confusion. “From a shelter, and she was always barking and growling at us but it was just because she was scared. Eventually she calmed down and was really a puppy at heart…” Yukhei’s smile widens. “You’re that dog.”

Baekhyun looks at Yukhei in disbelief. He must be drunker than he thought. 

“...Did you just compare me to your dead dog?” 

“I can wait, you know,” Yukhei continues, undeterred. “Until you stop barking and growling. If I’ve waited this long to meet you, I can wait for this too.”

Baekhyun is just as lost as ever, watching as Yukhei stands with an aura of determination. 

“What?”

“Come inside soon, okay?” Yukhei tells him, holding the door open. Baekhyun just can’t stop staring. “You don’t want to get sick.”

He can only watch in speechless shock as the door swings shut behind him, wondering what the fuck he just sat through. It’s ironic, really, the way Yukhei seems to understand Baekhyun quicker than he even understands himself, sometimes, but the more Baekhyun watches and examines Yukhei, the less he begins to make any sense.

  
  
  
  


INT. SET OF EXCHANGE REAPER, SEOUL - DAY 

Their latest scene takes place in a cafe in Hapjeong, being the confrontation scene between Baekhyun and Yukhei’s characters, after Baekhyun’s character discovers that Yukhei had saved the life of his target rather than taken it, and has proceeded to parade around as human since he’s in love with her --being his long lost childhood friend and all. 

It never fails to make Baekhyun roll his eyes.

Their chemistry isn’t perfect, not even close, but hours of filming together has ensured that Baekhyun and Yukhei at least know how to work with each other now, if nothing else. It’s probably still lacking, given by the permanent twist to Kyungsoo’s mouth, but it’s passing. 

“It works for now because your characters aren’t close yet,” Kyungsoo explains. “But it won’t work in the second half where they grow to understand each other.”

Used to their scolding, Baekhyun and Yukhei nod in unison, before Yukhei droops and skulks. Baekhyun just sighs. 

“One day we’ll get it right,” Yukhei offers in a familiar tone, startling Baekhyun.

“Since when are you and I on a talking basis?” Baekhyun asks, arching an eyebrow.

“I don’t know, you being mean to me all the time could count as talking,” Yukhei counters, looking amused. Baekhyun keeps staring at him like he’s grown a second head. “But I think that’s the issue in front of the camera, y’know. We’re not connecting in character because we can’t connect out of it.”

“What are you, a self-help book?”

Yukhei just laughs it off, which infuriates Baekhyun further. Yukhei gets harder and harder to deter. 

“Maybe,” Yukhei amends, shrugging. “But for the most part I’m just tryna do my job. It would be a lot easier if you stopped putting up so many walls.” Yukhei’s expression turns pensive for a moment. “You don’t seem to have this issue with anyone else in the cast.”

But nobody else in the cast is perfect like Yukhei is, and Baekhyun doesn’t have nearly the same amount of scenes with them. Baekhyun doesn’t _hate_ them the way he hates Yukhei. 

“They’re not as annoying as you.” Baekhyun huffs.

Yukhei just laughs again. “The growling routine is cute, Hyun, but one of these days you’re gonna have to let it go if you want to do a good job. And I’m pretty sure you want to.”

Cute? _Hyun?_ Just who the hell does Wong Yukhei think he is? 

“I--” Baekhyun stammers, red in the face and hating it. “--Don’t speak so informally to me. We’re not friends.” 

“Who said I want to be friends?” Yukhei asks, lowering his voice and stepping into Baekhyun’s space. It steals the breath from his lungs and makes his face red, claustrophobic with the way Yukhei towers over him and makes him dizzy. Then, Yukhei bursts into laughter, and the thickness of the air snaps and twists and reshapes itself quicker than Baekhyun can stop it. Even as he grins, Yukhei looks at Baekhyun like he finally sees him, and Baekhyun _hates_ it.

“We should practice lines again soon,” Yukhei starts, the whiplash making Baekhyun incapable of replying. “I’ll text you.”

“I--” Baekhyun blinks rapidly, then frowns. “You don’t have my number.”

“I’ll ask Junmyeon for it,” Yukhei replies easily. 

“Then I won’t respond,” Baekhyun counters, narrowing his eyes. Yukhei’s lips pull into another grin that Baekhyun wants to wipe off his face.

“You say that now,” Yukhei says, “but I think you’re lying.” 

Baekhyun has no response, and Yukhei turns to go to his trailer to clean up and head home. Baekhyun just groans and makes frustrated hand gestures in the air at his retreating back. Why can’t Yukhei ever give up?

“Can you hurry up?” Junmyeon nags, dragging Baekhyun away to his trailer. Baekhyun frowns. “What? No quippy response? What’s wrong with you, are you sick?”

Junmyeon pushes his hands onto Baekhyun’s forehead before Baekhyun bats them away.

“I’m _fine_ ,” he insists, righting himself. “Just frustrated.”

“Unlike you not to be a piece of shit,” Junmyeon muses, with Baekhyun wondering if he’s meant to be offended by that or not. “I haven’t had to clean up one of your messes in weeks. What’s happened to you?” 

Baekhyun doesn’t answer, but if he thinks about a particularly tall, smug, asshole who lives in his head rent-free even when he’s not around, who steals all of Baekhyun’s attention and focus, well… Junmyeon doesn’t need to know.

  
  
  
  


INT. APGUJEONG HYUNDAI APARTMENTS, SEOUL - NIGHT

Baekhyun’s phone buzzes at eleven, waking him up from a nap-that-almost-qualifies-as-regular-sleep, leaving him disgruntled. It’s from an unknown number.

_I’m coming over to practice lines tonight, okay?_

Attached is a sticker of Muzi flexing.

Baekhyun’s response after accepting the request is simple.

 _No you are not_.

_See?_

_I knew you’d respond_.

Baekhyun just curls tighter into the sheets, wondering at what stage Yukhei managed to worm his way in like this --and at what stage Baekhyun stopped hating it.

  
  
  
  
  


INT. ELLE PHOTO STUDIO, SEOUL - DAY

The series is set to debut on a Tuesday night at 10 p.m, long before they’ve finished filming the last few episodes.

For Baekhyun, who is used to the well-managed schedules of high-budget film, it seems stressful, but consensus among the cast and crew seems to be that this is typical for a drama --he even overhears a horror story from Kyungsoo about editors working on the final episode hours before it was set to air.

It packs Baekhyun’s schedule in a way it hasn’t been for years --during his rookie debut and subsequent success, he was used to filming every hour of every day, but as he faded out of the public eye and took his tarnished reputation with him, the hours tended to lessen. Now, Baekhyun has filming every day and some sort of publicity every other, whether it’s press releases, variety filming, or photo shoots.

Like the one he’s attending currently, grateful to be dressed head-to-toe in _Cartier_ and _Gucci_ rather than the tacky zip-up hanbok he sports most days of the week. Beside him at the make-up station, Yukhei is covered in _Bulgari_ no thanks to his brand deal, and they’re brushing something shimmery along his cheekbones and forehead. He looks as handsome as he had that first time at the award show all those months ago, and it makes Baekhyun’s stomach writhe.

The shoot is simple; mostly shots with Yukhei and Yerim to fill majority of the pages, and a few with the main cast to be the cover and spread shots. Yukhei and Yerim take centre stage as Baekhyun, Soojung, Sooyoung and Taemin spread out around them like some sort of obscenely attractive family photo, all dressed in designer brands and higher than the nines. After their group shot, Baekhyun’s clothes are changed for the male cast shots; just him, Yukhei and Taemin, and then, to his surprise, he's told to change again.

“We want some of the other important relationships too,” the director explains. “Taeho and Lei have a great teacher-student dynamic we’d like to present in the photos.”

Baekhyun licks his lips, forcing a smile. “Sure,” he answers smoothly, stepping up to the white backdrop. “Where do you want us?”

They’re directed to pose together, sitting down, facing each other, back-to-back. At one stage Baekhyun drapes his elbow on Yukhei’s shoulder and tries not to think about how he’s almost on tip-toes just to accomplish it. The photos are jarring --Baekhyun’s iciness in contrast with Yukhei’s warmth-- but somehow… it works. It compliments them and _their_ characters, creating a dichotomy that even Baekhyun finds alluring.

Maybe it's just the effect of lights and make-up.

Resuming their positions for more, Yukhei says, “You know, you’re really good at this stuff.”

Baekhyun huffs. “I’m really good at _everything_ ,” he corrects.

“That’s not true, I’ve seen you act.” Baekhyun scoffs and pinches Yukhei’s ear, who yelps. “Hey!” 

“Unbelievable,” Baekhyun mutters, but the click of a camera shutter pulls him from his thoughts.

“Sorry!” yells the photographer. “You two are so cute. I just couldn’t resist.” 

It makes Baekhyun flush across his neck, which Yukhei notices given by his wide grin. Another click of the aperture.

The very last stage, however, is an interview of the cast. Individually, Yerim and Yukhei have to answer a handful of questions, and then altogether they play a game of _who’s who?_ With styrofoam fingers and all.

“Who remembers their lines best?” the producer calls.

They all point to Sooyoung, and Yerim cheerfully explains how she’s a perfectionist and something of a freak. It makes the whole room laugh, with Baekhyun making himself join in. The rest of the questions follow similar veins, _who takes the longest to get ready, who takes the most selfies, who’s the moodmaker of the cast._

(Yukhei wins that last one. Even Baekhyun votes for him.)

“Who’s most different when the cameras are off?”

They all seem divided on that one; Yerim points to Sooyoung, Sooyoung points to Taemin, Taemin seems confused and points to no one. Baekhyun just points to Soojung, whose character lacks her feistiness. Yukhei points to Baekhyun.

It’s the first point he’s had the whole time.

“What?” Baekhyun blurts. “Me?” 

“Yeah,” Yukhei answers. His Korean is clumsier when he’s in a setting like this, when he's nervous without lines to memorise. It’s cute, not that Baekhyun would ever admit to such a thing. “I think you have a really cold image on and off camera, but behind that you’re just a little ball of mush.”

It’s bait and Baekhyun knows it, twitching.

Soojung at the edge of the row, snorts. 

“Baekhyun does have quite an infamous image,” Yerim muses. “But he’s definitely super professional when you meet him. I think he’s only mush with you though, Yukhei.”

“Mush?” Baekhyun repeats incredulously. “I am not--”

“Yeah, me and Baekhyun get along, don’t we?” He places a hand on Baekhyun’s thigh; it nearly sprawls the whole way across. Baekhyun stares at it, dizzy.

“I--”

“They practice their lines together _all_ the time,” Taemin adds. “I’m almost jealous.”

“He’s like a teacher for me in real life too,” Yukhei continues, lying with ease, “I’ve admired him for a long time.”

Baekhyun doesn’t know why Yukhei is always so intent on riling him up like this, but it’s _frustrating_ because Baekhyun never has any sort of way to get the upper hand. It’s humiliating; he’s never met someone so straightforward yet so enigmatic. 

“I do not--”

“Ah, it’s okay Baekhyun,” Yukhei coos. “I know how cute you secretly are at heart.”

That just has Baekhyun frozen in place as he stares at Yukhei with wide eyes, and the whole cast laughs.

“Yukhei is the only one who ever makes Baekhyun speechless like this!” Soojung adds, and the whole crew laughs too.

“Are we done here yet?” Baekhyun asks them, frantic. That only makes them laugh harder. 

While wrapping things up, after thanking the crew for their hard work, Baekhyun pulls Yukhei aside and says, “What the fuck?”

“Sorry, was I breathing too loudly?” Yukhei jokes. Baekhyun just stares at him for a long moment.

“You didn’t have to lie like that,” he scolds.

“Am I ruining your bad boy image?” Yukhei teases, leaning into Baekhyun’s space again in the way that makes him feel small. “I wasn’t lying though, I think you are cute... For someone so old.” 

“I--” Baekhyun can hardly form a sentence. “ _Hey_.”

Yukhei laughs, and Baekhyun hates how he’s memorised the shape of it, the sound, hates the familiarity of it and hates how he doesn’t hate it at all. 

  
  
  


INT. APGUJEONG HYUNDAI APARTMENTS, SEOUL - NIGHT

_The video is uploaded_

_You should watch it_

_[Link]_

Baekhyun looks at his phone in boredom as he’s curled up in bed, ready to sleep after a long day of filming and dealing with Yukhei. Too bad Yukhei tends to persevere behind the camera and beyond it.

It’s the interview, from their magazine shoot, though when the video loads Baekhyun finds it’s set to start at a specific timestamp towards the end. 

_I know how cute you secretly are at heart,_ on-screen Yukhei says, and Baekhyun can only watch in humiliation and horror as he’s edited to have cute blushing affects added, and the screen is cropped to focus on his flustered face.

_I hate you._

_Nah._

_I don’t think you do_.

“Stupid idiot,” Baekhyun mumbles to himself, turning his phone off and getting it as far away from him as possible, pretending he hadn't noticed the photos of the shoot posted with it, and the way he and Yukhei looked together in their candids, side-by-side.

  
  
  
  


INT. PRODUCTION TEAM BUS - DAY [DRIVING]

The premiere episode is met with mixed reviews. Most praise the high-budget costume and set, but criticize the clunky dialogue and the slow pacing. However, almost all reviews manage to enforce that _Exchange Reaper_ certainly shows potential. 

Pages upon pages are dedicated to Yerim and Yukhei’s acting skills as idols, carrying the slow plot even through such awkward lines --Baekhyun’s name is just an afterthought on said pages.

“Don’t you think that’s kind of bad for you?”

Baekhyun jumps as Yukhei leans over the bus seat from the row behind him. Their filming out in the countryside today, capturing the last arc as Yukhei’s character attempts to run from the Reaper’s authority while Baekhyun’s chases him down. A fitting climax. 

He locks the phone screen, shoving it into his lap. “Don’t you think it’s none of your business?”

Yukhei just examines him in that way that always makes Baekhyun squirm, tilting his head.

“It’s just not healthy,” Yukhei says, undeterred as always. “To care about what people think like that.”

“I don’t care,” Baekhyun defends. “I’m just seeing how it was received, that’s all.”

Yukhei softens. “But you _do_ care,” he argues. “That’s why you work so hard even though you pretend to hate your job. It’s why you can’t commit to ruining your image the way you want to.”

Baekhyun flinches, and his instinct is to lash out, but then Yukhei rounds the seat to sit beside him and whatever fight was inside Baekhyun just withers.

“Whatever,” he mumbles. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” Yukhei argues, catching Baekhyun off-guard. “You always say that I don’t know you, that I don’t understand you. Try to explain it, then.”

Baekhyun huffs, resting his chin in his palm and gazing out the window so he doesn’t have to look at Yukhei’s face.

“You’re young,” he starts. “Popular. _Chinese_. You have decades of a career in front of you.”

“How does me being Chinese help?” Yukhei laughs timidly.

“Well, you don’t have to enlist, for one.” It makes Yukhei cut off sharply. “You don’t have this… this _thing_ hanging over your head, threatening to cut you off from everything you’ve ever worked for.” His eyes cloud over as the scenery beyond the glass blurs together.

“But I’ve heard tons of people say the military is a good break for people like us,” Yukhei says. “You’ve worked so hard for so long. Don’t you want the time off?”

Baekhyun thinks about what everyone always says to him: _you’re not a man until you’ve been to the army_ , thinks about the naver comments that keep begging him to go, the way Junmyeon always threatens it over his head. Thinks about the stories of men being catfished and sent to prison and--

“Not for me,” he answers. Yukhei stays silent, and it itches at Baekhyun, who’s used to Yukhei always being loud and overenthusiastic in crowds --though he dials it down when they’re alone in Baekhyuns’ apartment in his patterned socks and jacket, always matching the mood.

“I don’t understand you either,” Baekhyun blurts.

“Huh?” Yukhei turns. “Me?” He points out himself with wide eyes, blinking. He laughs then, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I’m an honest person. I don’t think I’m hard to figure out.”

“You are,” Baekhyun counters, wrinkling his nose. “You’re so…” He searches for the word. “ _Persistent_.”

Yukhei laughs. “Only because you’re so stubborn, and I love to win.” He offers another boyish smile that makes Baekhyun’s gut flip. 

“I’m… horrible to you.” Horrible to everyone, as a side-effect of being chewed up and spat out, leaving Baekhyun only with the jagged points of his broken shell. “Why don’t you give up?”

Yukhei softens completely in a way that makes their age difference apparent to Baekhyun, looking so young and unmarred. He has stubble he’ll need to shave off but his skin is smooth and only a little pitted, and he’s so naturally handsome it hurts.

“I told you,” Yukhei answers with a tender smile. “I’m just hanging around until you stop barking so much.” His gaze turns forward towards the front bus windows. “I haven’t been lying, y’know, when I say I’ve admired you for a long time. I spent my trainee days rewatching your drama over and over and begged the company to let me take acting lessons even though I was Chinese just for a shot at ever being like you.” 

Baekhyun’s eyes widen.

“Then I met you, and you hated me, and that made me so upset I--” Yukhei cuts off, slowly exhaling. “--I didn’t know what to do, but the more you lashed out at me the more I realised you don’t actually hate me, do you?” Baekhyun doesn’t respond, just looks at Yukhei and wonders what Yukhei sees when he looks back. “You’re just afraid.”

Baekhyun swallows, feels the blood drain from his face. He wants to look away from Yukhei but he can’t.

“What do I have to be afraid of?” he croaks out. 

“I dunno. A lot of things?” Yukhei shrugs. “It’s hard, for people like us, because the public thinks we have everything and maybe we do, but at the same time… that just means we have a lot more to lose."

Baekhyun’s hands curl into fists as Yukhei looks at him, because these aren’t the eyes of the public or his company or the public, they aren’t the lens of the camera --no, Yukhei’s eyes simply see Baekhyun clearly in a way he’s never felt before.

It terrifies him.

“...Maybe,” is all Baekhyun can find the strength to say, tearing his gaze away back towards the window. He offers Yukhei a small, but genuine smile. “You really are an honest person, aren’t you?”

He puts in his airpods to stop any further conversation --or, god forbid, Yukhei’s response-- even if he never plays any music through them, watching the countryside roll by. Yukhei doesn’t return to his seat, but he does settle into the space beside Baekhyun, seeming to doze off. Like any good idol, Yukhei falls asleep quickly, and his head falls so that it’s on Baekhyun’s shoulder. 

The scariest part of it all is that Baekhyun doesn’t try to shrug him off, just stays as still as possible as he examines the long sweep of Yukhei’s eyelashes and thinks deep, forbidden thoughts he’s locked up for years. He doesn’t understand how the person who _is_ everything Baekhyun has lost, and will lose, can also understand his loss the most, but at least he is beginning to understand that Wong Yukhei represents far more danger than Baekhyun ever accounted for.

  
  
  


INT. SET OF EXCHANGE REAPER, BUSAN - NIGHT

They wrap up filming just after sunset, with Baekhyun panting off-camera having to catch his breath after going through a scene where he chases Yukhei and Yerim through farmlands in his stupid hanbok.

It’s ridiculous, but the result works out well, with Baekhyun’s character’s desperation clear on his face as he chases the couple, being torn between his duty to the reapers and his duty to Yukhei’s character as his mentor and his friend.

“You know, I think you’ve really nailed it by now,” Kyungsoo praises. “I thought you two would be rocky the whole way through, but… having your chemistry develop with your characters works.” Baekhyun blinks, startled to hear praise. “Baekhyun I think you’ve really got it perfect, the way you seem so begrudgingly endeared is just perfect for Taeho. And Yukhei--” at least he looks equally as surprised. “--Lei’s deep respect for Taeho’s skills but reluctance towards his methods really shines through. I’m excited to film the confrontation scene tomorrow.” 

“Uh, yeah,” Yukhei blurts. “Me too?”

Kyungsoo congratulates them both before he’s called away by the set manager, and Baekhyun and Yukhei look at each other.

“Well, I’m glad we finally pulled our shit together in the last few episodes,” Yukhei says, making Baekhyun laugh. When he tapers off, Yukhei is staring at him strangely.

“What?” Baekhyun asks, uncomfortable.

“Nothing.” Yukhei shakes his head, still smiling. “Wanna run lines tonight for old time’s sake?” He looks at Baekhyun with wide, sparkling eyes, just like a puppy. “I wanna make sure Kyungsoo doesn’t go back to disapproval.”

Baekhyun huffs. “I think he just has a general aura of dissatisfaction,” he muses, which makes Yukhei laugh --louder than such a small joke deserves, but Baekhyun won’t point it out. “But since I know you’ll insist no matter what I say, sure.” 

Yukhei giggles, pleased and childish. It just makes Baekhyun shake his head fondly.

  
  
  
  
  


INT. MONSOON INN, BUSAN - NIGHT

The production team rented out several rooms in a hotel not far from the set for the night, since the scenes are set in the day. Poor Yerim has to drive back to Seoul for an idol schedule and come back in the morning --Baekhyun doesn’t envy her.

The hotel staff seem flustered and over-compensating, but Baekhyun doesn’t mind. He gets his own room, not even shared with Junmyeon, and is more happy about it than he should be, bouncing on the big bed and instantly eating the pillow chocolates as soon as he enters. It’s nice to have a change of scenery.

There’s a bottle of peach soju in the mini-fridge that he eyes but decides against, remembering Yukhei will come to bother him eventually about practicing their big argument scene for tomorrow. He’s still full from the cast dinner at the buffet downstairs, making him sleepy.

He decides on a bath to keep him awake, seeping into the warm water then wrapping himself up in the fluffy hotel robe. He wonders if he should get dressed for Yukhei, to seem like he cares --or maybe stick to pajamas to pretend like he doesn’t? Baekhyun stares at his clothes in his hands and wonders why it matters. 

It doesn’t, but he pulls on clothes anyway just to stop himself from getting any sleepier. He scrolls through his phone aimlessly while his eyes keep flicking to the door in anticipation. It’s just practicing lines --why does Baekhyun care so much? 

A sharp knock pulls him from his thoughts, and he pulls open the door to find Yukhei dressed in fresh clothes and hotel slippers which he kicks off as he enters.

“Take your time,” Baekhyun teases slyly. “Not like sleep is precious or anything.”

Yukhei just laughs. “Yeah yeah, sorry. Got caught up in stuff with my members.” 

“What kind of stuff?”

Yukhei pauses for a moment, looking startled, but it smooths over quicker than Baekhyun can catch it. He is an actor, after all.

“Just dumb stuff, we’re starting to prepare for our comeback. Full preparation will right as the drama finishes up.”

Baekhyun exhales. “Jesus. Don’t you ever rest?”

“Rest is for the weak.” Yukhei gives a small smile, but it looks more tired than Baekhyun expects. “What page is it, again?”

It gnaws at Baekhyun. “Is this a good idea?” he asks. “If you want to rest, you can, Yukhei. We don’t need to practice tonight.”

“No, I want to,” Yukhei insists. “What page?”

Stubborn and hardworking like always. Baekhyun sighs, he can’t imagine having so much stamina.

“Twenty-three,” he relents. Yukhei pulls his script out of his back pocket and flips to it, dumping it on the TV stand as he reads over it and shrugging off his denim jacket, tossing it on the room’s armchair. 

Baekhyun sighs and reaches for his own script on the bedside table, flicking to the tabbed page and scanning over his handwritten notes. It’s a heavy scene, with Taeho finally catching Lei and being convinced to help them, rather than try to kill Yerim’s character for the sake of balance. They fight, because of course they do, the tension of their characters’ relationship climaxing as episodes of tension unleashes. Two personalities that clash as much as they connect --it’s inevitable.

“From the top?” Yukhei prompts.

“From the top,” Baekhyun agrees.

Their first run-through is fine, more about them memorising the lines and prodding out the feeling than anything else. Baekhyun suggests Yukhei try to be more frustrated with Taeho, and Yukhei takes his advice to heart, emphasizing the anger the second round through. It’s strange to see an angry Yukhei, even if he _is_ acting --Baekhyun remembers a time where all he wanted to do was see Yukhei crack, and now, he’d hate to see anything hurt him.

“Baekhyun?” Yukhei asks, smiling. “That’s your line.”

“Oh,” Baekhyun blurts. “Right.”

They go through it again standing, now, to work further on their blocking. Yukhei suggests Baekhyun tug at his forearm when he walks away, which Baekhyun likes and takes to heart. They pace around Baekhyun’s hotel room back and forth as they repeat the fight over and over, and Baekhyun tries not to focus on the way Yukhei’s bare forearms seem to burn his skin every time they touch. He wishes Yukhei had kept the jacket on. 

“Why does what they think matter to you?” Yukhei recites for the umpteenth time, searching Baekhyun’s face. He presses into Baekhyun’s space until he’s backed against the wall --it’s a new way of blocking, but he can work with it. “The reapers don’t own the world the way you think they do.”

“Don’t they?” Baekhyun counters in-character. He wants to stay big in Yukhei’s space, but it’s so hard. “They control life and _death_ , Lei. I’ve worked with them for centuries… it’s all I’ve ever known.”

Yukhei shakes his head. “You’re afraid of them,” he says. “And you’re afraid to move on and find out what’s next. But you’re more than just this, Taeho.” 

Yukhei is so close it’s dizzying, and the intensity of the moment seeps into the air, making Baekhyun’s head foggy. He can see the hint of stubble underneath Yukhei’s jaw where he’s missed a spot shaving, can smell the spicy scent of his cologne. There are so many scents Baekhyun hates, but Yukhei’s isn’t one of them.

“Am I?” Baekhyun asks, searching Yukhei’s face. He’s the only one that’s ever seen Baekhyun properly, isn’t he? So is he the one with the answer?

Yukhei gulps, licking his lips quickly. “That’s not in the script.”

“Am I?” Baekhyun reiterates, curling his hand into the front of Yukhei’s shirt as his grip tightens, pulling him closer and keeping him away simultaneously.

Yukhei seems dazed. “Yes,” he breathes out. “So much more.” 

“Prove it,” Baekhyun demands, voice barely more than a whisper, so Yukhei kisses him.

Yukhei kisses him, and something inside Baekhyun finally snaps as he moans into the kiss, pulling Yukhei as close as possible and tugging at his shirt. It’s messy and frenzied, uncoordinated and famished, but the more of Yukhei Baekhyun tastes the hungrier he becomes. 

He bites at Yukhei’s bottom lip and sucks on his tongue in a way that has Yukhei moaning back, hiking Baekhyun’s leg around his hip and sliding his hands into Baekhyun’s back pockets, making him whimper as Yukhei palms at his ass. His hands are so big it’s fucking intoxicating.

“I didn’t--” Yukhei starts, panting. “You-- I didn’t know if you--”

“Less talking,” Baekhyun interjects, capturing Yukhei’s mouth with his. “More kissing.”

Yukhei makes a muffled noise somewhere between a moan and a laugh as Baekhyun just kisses him over and over, eager to taste and feel as much as possible. It’s been so long since he’s given into this, not just desire but _all_ of it, letting someone in close like this --it only makes it feel all the more special.

Though Baekhyun is aware that things like this can’t last --not for either of them, but not for Baekhyun in particular-- which adds to his impatience. His hands cup Yukhei’s cheek, and slide down his neck, over his toned biceps, pushing off his shirt and savouring each bump of his fingers over Yukhei’s abs before clumsily fiddling with his belt between their pressed bodies.

“I want--” Baekhyun starts, gasping when Yukhei just moves his mouth to his neck and _bites_ , sucking at the skin and undoubtedly leaving a bruise. Baekhyun should chastise such things considering he’s a celebrity, but he’s too turned on to care. He drags his nails over Yukhei’s back, making sure to leave marks there too.

“You want…?” Yukhei prompts, breath fanning over the wet skin at Baekhyun’s neck.

“I want to suck you off,” Baekhyun says bravely. 

“Uh…” Yukhei pulls back and looks like his brain is BSODing. Baekhyun swears he can hear the dial-up noises. “You can… definitely do that. Uh. If you want.” 

Baekhyun laughs to himself then presses a chaste kiss to Yukhei’s cheek. “I definitely want to.”

He wriggles so that Yukhei lets him sink to his knees, and repositions him flat against the wall instead. Yukhei’s face is flushed in pleasure and he looks at Baekhyun like he’s an object of worship, which is stupid, because Baekhyun is the one on his knees. 

But there’s power to be felt in the way Yukhei can’t even seem to make himself blink as Baekhyun makes a show out undoing his jeans and pulling them down, kissing over his abdomen, the tops and insides of his thighs, leaving marks at his hips. It’s been so long since he’s had sex, no thanks to a combination of his career and its spiraling path, Baekhyun has forgotten how _good_ it feels.

Yukhei knocks his head back and groans, the flex of his throat making Baekhyun’s mouth water. 

“Please stop teasing me,” Yukhei says in a way that comes off as a whine, making Baekhyun smirk against his skin.

“Impatient,” he mutters, pressing a kiss to the waistband of Yukhei’s overly fancy pink underwear. Definitely something to tease him about later, when Baekhyun can think about something other than getting dick. “Only good boys get rewarded.”

Yukhei lets out a long, shaking breath that has Baekhyun grinning, but he stays quiet after that. Baekhyun slowly tugs down his underwear and kisses Yukhei’s cock with inappropriate tenderness, jerking his hand over it even though he’s already hard. So responsive.

Baekhyun kisses the head, just to tease.

“So,” he prompts, looking up at Yukhei from under his lashes. “Are you going to be good?”

“Yes,” Yukhei promises, chest heaving from exertion as his hands squeeze into fists against the wall. “ _So_ good-- please.”

“Glad to hear it.” Baekhyun finally takes Yukhei into his mouth, relishing in the moan Yukhei lets out as he does. His deep voice is so sweet, even as Yukhei raises a hand to cover his mouth and keep his noises down, knowing the others are sleeping in rooms next door.

But Baekhyun doesn’t think about that, just reaches for Yukhei’s other hand and pushes it into his hair, sighing through his nose as Yukhei’s fingers tighten and _tug_ just the way he likes. 

He pulls off, with another brief kiss. “Harder,” he demands. Yukhei looks hesitant to comply, but he does, tugging Baekhyun back over his cock. Baekhyun shuts his eyes to the pleasure, already hard in his own pants as Yukhei moves Baekhyun’s head at his own leisure, fucking into his mouth.

“Oh god,” Yukhei breathes out, grip tightening and making Baekhyun moan. “I’m gonna--” 

Baekhyun pulls back, mouth open and waiting as his hand replaces his lips, and Yukhei comes across his face. Baekhyun licks his lips as soon as he’s finished, panting.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to--” Yukhei cuts off as Baekhyun raises a finger to wipe the mess off his face and suck it into his own mouth, moaning around it. “--Eep.”

Baekhyun can’t even hold back a laugh, swiping off some more and standing to push his fingers into Yukhei’s mouth too. Like the good puppy he is, Yukhei obediently opens up, sucking Baekhyun’s fingertips and licking over them.

“Good boy,” Baekhyun praises, pressing his fingers into Yukhei’s teeth. Yukhei moans, panting for breath as Baekhyun withdraws. There’s a box of tissues on the nightstand that he reaches for instantly, cleaning off the rest of the mess around his chin and nose.

“Here,” Yukhei starts, nudging Baekhyun towards the bed. “Let me.”

“You don’t have to.” Baekhyun shrugs, used to how these things go. 

“I want to,” Yukhei insists, looking determined.

Baekhyun is too weak to deny him anything. “Okay.” 

Yukhei’s technique is a little sloppy from what Baekhyun supposes must be inexperience, but he doesn’t mind, relishing in the feeling of a mouth around him regardless. He’s laid Baekhyun back against the bed and has his head between his thighs, moaning around his cock like it’s getting him hard again even when he’d just gotten off. It’s a rush, for Baekhyun, to have someone so beautiful be so attentive towards him like this, because even when Yukhei is so eager and inexperienced he’s thorough and takes his time. Made worse when he reaches for Baekhyun’s fingers and intertwines them, his hands practically swallowing Baekhyun’s own. 

Baekhyun comes down the back of Yukhei’s throat, and Yukhei sucks him through it until Baekhyun is pushing him off, panting for breath. Yukhei only crawls up on his hands and knees to kiss Baekhyun, tasting himself. He doesn’t care very much.

Yukhei pulls back from the slow kiss and laughs in the crook of Baekhyun’s neck. “I can’t believe we just did that.”

“Neither can I,” Baekhyun admits. With the haze of lust and desire beginning to dissipate, the voices at the back of his mind that tell him what a huge mistake he’s made grow louder.

But then Yukhei nuzzles against his neck, and it’s harder to hear.

“Can I stay here?” he asks, then yawns. “Too lazy to go to my own room.”

“I’m sure that elevator ride is exhausting,” Baekhyun points out, but Yukhei response is to flop on top of him, pinning him down and making Baekhyun laugh. “Okay fine, whatever. Stupid puppy.”

“You like that I’m a stupid puppy,” is Yukhei’s intelligent reponse. Baekhyun doesn’t have a comeback, so instead he just kisses Yukhei, full-forced and passionate.

Cupping his cheeks, Baekhyun pulls back and says. “You can stay.”

 _Always_.

“Okay,” Yukhei replies, and grins like a dopey child. Even if Baekhyun can hear the voices telling him he’s fucked up, it’s okay. He’ll allow himself this indulgence, if only for a night.

  
  
  
  
  


INT. MONSOON INN, BUSAN - DAY

It’s his phone alarm that wakes Baekhyun up first, making him groan at the heat and stickiness of his sweaty body as he rolls over to silence it.

Beside him, Yukhei grumbles as he awakens, and memories of last night come flooding back like a burst dam, startling Baekhyun. One night. He’d promised himself just one night.

And that night is gone now.

“Hi,” Yukhei greets as his eyes open, his face puffy and sleep crusted at the corner of his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Six,” Baekhyun answers. “We have half an hour until we need to be downstairs.”

Yukhei yawns and stretches, sitting up. He scratches his bare stomach, scouring the floor for his shirt, which he pulls over his head, then scrubs at his face.

“I need a shower,” he grumbles. He turns to Baekhyun and grins. “Wanna join me?”

Baekhyun winces. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not? We’ve got half an hour. That’s plenty of time!”

“No Yukhei,” Baekhyun says, “not because of that.”

The way Yukhei’s face falls is instantaneous, eyebrows scrunching together. “What do you mean?”

Baekhyun opens his mouth, but his throat is dry. “I--” He swallows. “--Last night was fun, but… it’s not something we should do again.”

Yukhei’s frown deepens. “Why not?” 

“Come on,” Baekhyun implores, pulling the comforter over his body. “We’re both men. Both _celebrities_. The longer we do anything, the riskier it gets.”

“And?” Yukhei prompts, beginning to grow frustrated. “What if I said I don’t care about the risk?”

“You should.” Baekhyun pulls the comforter closer. “You’re young. You have your whole career ahead of you. You don’t want to throw it away for something as meaningless as this.” 

“Meaningless,” Yukhei repeats emptily. “Right.” 

“I’m just looking out for you,” Baekhyun insists. “I don’t want you to get hurt--”

“Me?” Yukhei cuts in. “Or yourself?” Baekhyun swallows, but his mouth is dry. Yukhei laughs, but it’s bitter and grating, unnatural on someone so soft. “Tell me, Baekhyun, is it the people out there you’re afraid of hurting you--” he points to the door. “--or the ones in here?” He points at the floor.

“I--” Baekhyun feels like the walls are closing in. “I’m not--” 

“You are,” Yukhei says, and he looks tired, drooping. This is it, Baekhyun realises, this is a Yukhei who’s cracked --Baekhyun wonders why, then, that it hurts inside of him too. “You always have been.” He reaches for his pants, tugging them on. “Whatever. If you want to keep acting even when the cameras are off, then fine. At least I can tell when the scenes are over.”

He marches out the door, slamming shut behind him, though his jacket remains thrown over the armchair in the corner of the room. Baekhyun just curls tighter into himself, wondering how much smaller he’ll have to be until Yukhei can stop worming himself into every crack and fracture and prying him apart.

  
  
  


BEGIN FLASHBACK: 

INT. SM MEETING ROOM, CHEONGDAM, SEOUL - DAY

“I don’t understand.”

Baekhyun’s fingers go white-knuckled as he clenches the script in his lap, trying to maintain poise. 

Junmyeon, sitting across from him, folds his arms across his chest. ‘What’s not to understand?”

“Is this your form of punishment?” Baekhyun asks, feeling a strange sense of desperation nestle in his gut. “No more military anymore, just-- this?”

“Punishment?” Junmyeon has the gall to look amused. “How so?”

“This is… a tacky drama,” Baekhyun hisses, trying to hold back his distaste as he looks down at the script. The title page reads:

EXCHANGE REAPER. 

“Yes.” Junmyeon still looks amused. “The company thought it’d be good for your image. You know, the one you keep trying to ruin?” 

Baekhyun bites his cheek to stop himself from scowling. He doesn’t _do_ TV dramas, he’s an A-list actor with A-list works. He’s in an Oscar-winning film from an Oscar-winning director for crying out loud; why has he been reduced to this? 

“Then why don’t they want me for the lead?” Baekhyun counters. The part he’s meant to read for, Taeho, is nothing but a supporting side character. 

Junmyeon shrugs. 

“They wanted somebody younger,” he says, even as it splinters inside Baekhyun, “they said they'd already picked somebody else.”

Baekhyun is frozen in place, speechless. Junmyeon waves his hands, like Baekhyun isn’t meant to be concerned. Two years ago, he’d have been a shoe-in for the lead role, a charming, young man starting out his newfound job post-mortem as a reaper. Now, Baekhyun looks too _old_ for those roles. He’s being phased out. He’s being _replaced_.

Panic sinks in faster than Baekhyun wants it to, but he maintains his composure, knowing he can’t break, not here of all places. “Who?”

“Pardon?”

“ _Who?_ ” Baekhyun repeats. “Who was chosen?” 

He fears he already knows the answer.

“Wong Yukhei.” Junmyeon shrugs. “If we’re lucky, you two will be working together on this. I’m sure Yukhei is excited to learn from you.”

Anger floods Baekhyun so quickly his hands clench around the script, tearing part of the title page from its staple.

He swallows. He can’t break character. Not now.

“Is that all?” he asks with forced politeness. “I’ll practice the lines, but if we’re done here then I’m done giving a shit.”

Junmyeon blinks, surprised at Baekhyun’s sudden anger. 

“Uh… yeah. Yeah that’s all. Just make sure you do as you’re told, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun nods obediently, standing, and leaves the room. 

He doesn’t go straight to the parking lot, though, but instead the bathroom, where he screams and throws the script at the wall.

It flops to the ground, still intact.

END FLASHBACK.

  
  
  
  


EXT. SET OF EXCHANGE REAPER, BUSAN - DAY 

The ending argument scene goes perfectly, no thanks to hours of practice the night before. Kyungsoo is impressed with every detail, from the emotions they portray to the way they interact, but even as they run through multiple takes just to be safe Baekhyun can’t help but feel like he’s on auto-pilot, wondering how Yukhei can be so real and tangible in front of him yet still seem so far away. 

“Perfect,” Kyungsoo praises as soon as he yells cut. “You two are just perfect.”

Baekhyun winces, and Yukhei only bows over in understanding.

“Thanks,” he mumbles. “If we’re done I want to go get my make-up off, now.”

Kyungsoo looks surprised to hear the flatness of his tone. “Uh. Yeah. Sure kid, go ahead.”

Yukhei nods and retreats, refusing to even meet Baekhyun’s eyes. Baekhyun’s gaze lingers on him as he walks away.

“He seems upset,” Kyungsoo says. “Did something happen?”

Baekhyun turns back to him, startled. “Why would I know?”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “You two are always working together and chatting. I thought you’d be close by now.”

“No,” Baekhyun says, and wonders why he feels like he’s breaking all over again. “We’re not.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


INT./EXT. SET OF EXCHANGE REAPER, SEOUL - NIGHT

Filming wraps up on a nondescript Wednesday morning, but the whole cast and crew burst into cheers as soon as it’s done, congratulating one another.

They’re using the set to celebrate, with crew members dragging out tables as the catering team busts out all the cast-favourites from across the filming. There are other bonuses too, like support trucks from fans and celebrity friends to celebrate, all contributing to a bountiful feast.

Baekhyun mostly feels relieved to never have to wear that stupid zipper hanbok ever again, free from its chains. There’s beer and soju and even some fancy champagne being passed around, but he’s happy just to stick to the edges of the set and watch as everyone laughs and jokes. Yukhei, at the centre of the crowd, tall and beaming, stands out like a lighthouse. Baekhyun wonders then why it always feels like he’s crashing. 

“Not joining in on the fun?” Junmyeon asks, approaching Baekhyun with his little paper plate of cakes.

Baekhyun shrugs. “No,” he says. “I don’t care.” 

Junmyeon snorts. “Sure. Suit yourself.”

Baekhyun watches him go, sighing to himself. He recognises his place --to everyone here, he’s just the washed up star brought in for what little name power he had left. He’d kept everyone at a professional distance and still got hurt regardless. He’s a fuck-up. Once upon a time, maybe, Baekhyun thought that only his messes could leave a mark, but now he’s realised it’s all fruitless. The end of Exchange Reaper just means to end of his spotlight, and it’s time he accepts that he’ll always just fade into the outskirts.

He heads outside, ready just to wait by Junmyeon’s car until he drives them home, but startles when he finds Kyungsoo outside the side door of the staging area, smoking a cigarette.

“What?” Kyungsoo prompts, sounding a little tipsy. “Leaving so early?” 

Baekhyun laughs it off nervously. “Celebrations aren’t really my thing.”

“Strange. Everyone always told me you were just some party boy.” Kyungsoo looks amused. “Yet here you are. Not partying.”

“Maybe I’ve already grown out of that phase.” He smiles thinly.

“Maybe.” Kyungsoo exhales a long mouthful of smoke into the air. The silence persists, but Baekhyun feels awkward and unsure of whether he can leave or not. 

“Can I ask you something?” he blurts, because it burns at the edge of his mind.

Kyungsoo shrugs. “Sure.”

“If you knew my reputation, why’d you hire me?” After all, Kyungsoo is the director; he was there at Baekhyun’s audition, must’ve researched his name. Must’ve agreed when they’d called him _too old_ for the lead. Baekhyun had spent months trying to make himself undesirable, to make sure that the company that owned his soul would be suffering alongside him, that the only way he’d ever make the top searches would be through something forbidden and _new_.

Kyungsoo hums, taking in another long inhale of smoke, then exhaling it in a thin cloud that makes Baekhyun cough. Kyungsoo smiles.

“I knew you might be a handful,” Kyungsoo admits. “But I’d seen your talent on the big screen. I couldn’t pass it up. Besides--” he looks at Baekhyun and smiles. “--I think everyone deserves more chances. Second, third, fourth, it doesn’t matter.” He looks up at the cloudy Seoul night sky. “Stars might die out, but we don’t have to. There’s always new ways of generating light.”

  
  
  


ON SCREEN:

**…’Exchange Reaper’ was a series with a rocky start, but a smooth finish. No thanks to the combined efforts of Wong Yukhei and Kim Yerim, it’s safe to say I have high hopes for the young couple’s new future together. Then again, I find my mind drifting back to the young and handsome Taeho more than anyone else, and what passing on means for him. Will he reincarnate? Will he return as a reaper? If a second series is to air, what becomes of him? It’s no secret that Byun Baekhyun has always been a big name in the industry, but to take the skills of Hollywood glamour and infuse it into the tight space of a supporting drama lead is no small feat. His tangible chemistry with Wong Yukhei increased as the season went on, and my investment with it. It’s refreshing, in a drama, to see importance be placed not just on romance with a beautiful girl, but also on the lessons we can learn from those around us. Experienced or inexperienced, we all have something to learn...**

**4 out of 5 Stars Left by Anonymous_User9221**

  
  
  
  
  


INT. WAYV DORMS, CHEONGDAM, SEOUL - NIGHT

Yukhei lives in a dorm, which is a terrifying thing to find out as soon as Baekhyun has earned car privileges back. It’s been a smooth month of promoting the end of the drama with no drinking incidents or parties so Junmyeon seems to have loosened the leash, bit by bit.

It’s also been a month of no KKTs at inappropriate times, no pretty boys on Baekhyun’s doorstep in denim jackets intent on barging into his life, no puppies who aren't afraid to bark back even when Baekhyun says he can't learn new tricks. It’s been a month of loneliness, of learning to miss something he never had to begin with, but a month of acceptance too.

Baekhyun will turn twenty-nine in six months; his enlistment date is scheduled to happen in five.

He knocks at the door, once, twice, shuffling on his feet. It’s a public holiday which means it’s a weekend of rest --for a Chinese group operating out of Korea, that means staying at the dorm on house arrest. 

Baekhyun knows the feeling.

The one to open the door Baekhyun recognises from all their pictures and music-videos and Chinese variety-appearances that he couldn’t stop himself from watching like rubbing salt in the wound; the leader, Kun. Idol dynamics are something beyond Baekhyun, and on purpose too. He’s not really sure how much that role persists off camera, but he finds himself intimidated of him regardless.

“Uh. Hi,” Baekhyun starts. “I’m um--”

“I know who you are,” Kun cuts him off, his Korean practically better than Baekhyun’s. “We watched every episode together.”

“Cool?” Baekhyun offers, unsure. He glances over Kun’s shoulder. “Is um, Yukhei home?” 

Kun narrows his eyes at him like a dad with a shotgun, then turns over his shoulder and yells, “YUKHEI.”

“WHAT?”

“YOU HAVE A GUEST.”

“WHAT THE FUCK?” There’s a heavy thump of footsteps. “WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO--” Yukhei cuts off, mouth still open. “Baekhyun?”

“Hi…?”

“All yours.” Kun pats Yukhei’s shoulder before leaving and shooting Baekhyun one last, quick, intimidating glare. Great. Very reassuring.

“What’re you doing here?” Yukhei asks, shuffling forward and shutting the door behind him. Baekhyun steps back to accommodate, leaving more room in the hallway. 

“I--” Baekhyun had practiced this out like a script, reading the lines over and over, but no amount of acting can compensate for the amount of truth he owes Yukhei. He thrusts out the denim jacket in his hands. “I still have this. From uh, when we were filming.”

“I… literally forgot about it but thanks?” Yukhei takes it gingerly.

“I washed it,” Baekhyun says, just to stop the silence from staying. “If you were wondering.”

Yukhei looks at him for a long moment, then says, “You do your own laundry?”

“I’m picky,” Baekhyun responds.

Yukhei huffs. “Yeah, I can believe that.” Baekhyun wants to speak up, but it’s hard when Yukhei looks so effortlessly handsome even after all this time. He’s always been beautiful, though, it just took Baekhyun too long to notice. 

“Is that all?” Yukhei asks, sounding tired. 

“No,” Baekhyun musters up what little courage he has left. “I wanted to apologise, too.” Yukhei straightens out, watching him. “I… I shouldn’t have said the things I said to you. All of them. From when we met until our night together.” He inhales deeply. “You were right, I was always… afraid. Of fading out, of being forgotten. Of being replaced.”

“No one could ever replace you, you’re amazing,” Yukhei insists. “Not even me.”

“Stop being nice.” Baekhyun whacks his bicep, making Yukhei yelp. “I’m trying to give you an apology here. Don’t make it so easy.”

Yukhei laughs. “Okay, okay, I won’t. Continue.”

“You had everything I once had and more,” Baekhyun continues. “But even when I was horrible to you you were still so kind to me. I didn’t deserve that.” He looks down at his hands. “I don’t deserve a lot of things, probably, with the way I’ve acted and the things I’ve done, but with filming out of the way I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and I…” He curls them into fists. “...I think that I can at least work towards deserving them, if nothing else.” He looks up at Yukhei and finally _sees_ him, the bump of his nose and his lopsided little smile, the way his eyes sparkle and crinkle in perpetual happiness, how his ears stick out a little and all the silver piercings inside them, the bow of his top lip.

“And I want to work towards the things that do matter,” Baekhyun continues. “More than fame and attention.”

Yukhei inhales slowly. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, happiness?” Baekhyun laughs nervously. “I’m kinda still working on it. I don’t know if I’ll ever really work it out.” All he’s ever had is his talent and his spotlight, but maybe the military, even with all its homophobia and _bullshit_ , will be a good excuse to find out the Baekhyun beneath all that. “But I did realise lately… I don’t really know many handsome perfect men who are... also into men.”

Yukhei snorts despite himself. “Oh really?”

“Yeah.” A smile grows across Baekhyun’s face. “The list gets even narrower if I only count the celebrities who understand my lifestyle. Smaller still if I only think about the ones who are dorky and make me laugh even when I don’t want to, who understand me in ways nobody else ever has before, who compare their crushes to their dead dog.”

Yukhei pouts. “I was making a point!” he argues. “And I only had… a star crush on you at that point. Very teeny.”

Baekhyun grins.

“There are one-hundred-and-fifty-five days until I’ll enlist,” he explains. “So I don’t want you to feel like we have to be anything serious, but--”

“Baekhyun, please,” Yukhei implores. “I’m not getting down on one knee here.” He pauses for a moment, looking pensive. “Unless you… want me to…”

“ _No_ ,” Baekhyun enforces, holding up his hands to stop Yukhei, just in case. He seems the dedicated type like that. His hands land against Yukhei’s chest, and he curls them into his shirt, feeling the way his heart pounds as fast as Baekhyun’s. “I just… I thought if I pushed you away I wouldn’t get hurt. But I got hurt anyway.” His grip tightens. “So maybe instead of trying to break everything around me, I should keep them whole and see what they turn into. Now matter how new it is, I want to see where this goes.” Baekhyun gulps, daring to look up at Yukhei. “Rate my apology.”

Yukhei’s lips twitch. “Three out of five, could use work.” His hands close over Baekhyun’s. “But message received loud and clear.”

“And what’s your line after all that?” Baekhyun asks.

“This.” Yukhei bends down to kiss him, and Baekhyun doesn’t care that they’re in a hallway, in public, that Yukhei clearly needs to shave and smells like he hasn’t showered yet. The kiss is just as sweet and all-consuming as he remembers. “You’re right about this. I want to see where this goes too.” 

“Okay.” Baekhyun grins like an idiot. “That can be arranged.”

“But it is _definitely_ going to be serious,” Yukhei adds in sternly. “That’s my condition.”

“Of course.” Baekhyun nods. “Anything you want.” 

“Good.” Yukhei pulls Baekhyun in for a hug, and Baekhyun breathes him, lets it fill his lungs, pushes in closer. He feels so small in Yukhei’s arms, so safe, like maybe there’s nothing in the world that can hurt him after all.

“If we make it until my enlistment,” Baekhyun starts, cheek squished against Yukhei’s overly-large pecs and voice muffled because of it. “You’ll make an excellent pining military-wife.” 

“Baekhyun?”

“Yeah?”

“Stop talking and kiss me.”

Baekhyun pulls back to grin up at Yukhei. “If you insist.”

He leans forward on his tip-toes, smiling like an idiot into the kiss as he cups Yukhei’s face, pulling him closer, letting Yukhei’s arms wrap around him as something brand new grows where their bodies meet. 

At least Baekhyun decides in that moment, if nothing else, that maybe he doesn’t hate Wong Yukhei after all. 

FADE OUT.

THE END. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
